Bakugan: The Destiny Brawlers
by strato-abyss17
Summary: Two worlds are in grave peril, and it's up to a young boy and his love of the famous game Bakugan to save it. Not canon with the Bakugan Battle Brawlers anime. Rated K for mild violence.
1. First Encounters

Chapter 1: First Encounters

_My name is Jason Carter. I'm 13 years old; I'm still in middle school. And something happened just a couple weeks ago that totally changed my life forever._

_I was there when the cards first fell from the sky. Almost every kid in Wardington City that day gathered up as many as they could before getting called in by their parents. I was one of those kids who picked up those cards and started on the path of the brawler._

_After examination of these cards, we found out that they were more than just regular playing cards. Soon enough, these weird marbles started popping out of them. They looked like game pieces to some of the kids who found them, and that started the greatest game of all time: Bakugan._

_We eventually found out that the cards themselves held an incredible power; one that transported us to an entirely different dimension. That's when Bakugan became more heated. We also learned that the game pieces, once thrown onto the cards, would come to life as an amazing warrior. The battles were intense, and if you made one wrong move, your Bakugan warrior was gone._

_Myself and a lot of other kids that day dedicated ourselves to becoming the best Bakugan brawlers that we could be. After the rules were set in stone, that's when my real battle began. My battle to become the best. And I won't give up until I achieve that goal!_

* * *

**Wardington City, Present Day**

A large yawn emanated from a young boy's mouth as he was sitting at his desk, looking at the paper in front of him, waiting for school to end so that the real excitement could begin. He wore a white jacket that was black at the sleeves, which were rolled up, and blue jeans with white and black tennis shoes. On his wrist was a white watch-like item, and clipped on his belt was a white clip device with three white and gold balls snapped securely inside.

"Jason Carter!"

Jason Carter ran a hand through his messy yet soft blond hair, pushing his glasses up so they sat at a comfortable position on his nose, and opened his azure-blue eyes, looking at the teacher who'd yelled at him from the front of the room.

"How many times have I told you not to fall asleep in my class?!" Ms. Purdy shouted. "Do you want detention again?!"

"Waah! No, ma'am!" Jason said frantically, nearly falling out of his chair. "I'm sorry! It won't happen again!"

Just then, the bell rang, and Jason ran out of the classroom before Ms. Purdy could say anything else. He didn't stop running until he was off school grounds, and when he finally got there, he sighed with relief.

"Phew…thank God she didn't catch me," Jason said. Then he remembered that he was supposed to meet his friend Dan Kuso at the park for some Bakugan practice.

"Heh, can't keep him waiting," he said, bolting off in the direction of the park.

Jason ran all the way to the park without stopping once. The young brawler eventually found his target waiting by the big fountain. Dan turned around as soon as he heard the footsteps behind him and gave him a smile.

"Hey, Jason!" Dan said enthusiastically. "Ready to get started?"

"You know it!" Jason said confidently, pulling out a Gate Card. Dan did the same, smirking cockily.

"Bakugan Field Open!"

The six attribute symbols shimmered and rotated around the two players, then a bright flash of light appeared as time stopped around them, transporting them to the battlefield.

* * *

"Gate Card Set!"

The two brawlers threw their Gate Cards down onto the field, and they expanded in a flash of red and yellow. Jason had the first move, and he pulled out the first Bakugan in his clip.

"Bakugan Brawl!" he shouted, lobbing the ball onto the field. "Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Serpenoid!"

A massive white snake with gold markings appeared from the ball that had stood on the card, giving off a massive hiss.

"_Haos Serpenoid enters battle with 320 Gs,"_ Jason's Bakupod said. _ "No further data available."_

"OK! I'll call your bluff!" Dan said, pulling a red and gold Bakugan from his clip. He wound up and threw it towards Jason's Serpenoid, shouting, "Bakugan Brawl!"

The ball whizzed through the air, rolling right in front of Serpenoid and popping open.

"Bakugan Stand! Go, Pyrus Saurus!"

A red dinosaur rose up from the ball, roaring loudly and showing off its strength.

"_Pyrus Saurus enters battle with 350 Gs,"_ the Bakupod said. _"Battle commence."_

"OK! Ability Activate!" Dan shouted, holding out a glowing card. "Saurus Glow!"

Saurus' body began to glow with a red luminescence as the Ability Card increased his power level.

"_Saurus power level increased to 400 Gs. Serpenoid remains at 320 Gs."_

"Ability Activate!" Jason said, countering with his own card. "Bright Light!"

Serpenoid charged up a ball of light in its mouth before launching it at Saurus.

"_Serpenoid's power level increased to 400 Gs."_

"Ability Activate! Fire Wall!"

A red vortex of flame whirled up around Saurus, stopping the ball of light dead in its tracks and nullifying the ability.

"_Serpenoid's power level decreased to 270 Gs, Saurus' power level increased to 450 Gs."_

"OK! Go get 'em, Saurus!" Dan shouted.

Saurus ran at Serpenoid at full speed, his shoulder forward.

"Serpenoid! Use your slow squeeze!" Jason shouted frantically.

Serpenoid jumped up and wrapped itself around the charging Saurus, tripping it to the ground and immobilizing it.

"_Saurus' power decreased to 400 Gs, Serpenoid's power increased to 320 Gs."_

"Nice try, but it's not enough to win!" Dan shouted. "Saurus! End him!"

Saurus grabbed the Serpenoid and squeezed as hard as he could as well, inflicting the same pain on Serpenoid that was being inflicted on it.

"Oh, no you don't! Gate Card open!" Jason shouted, thrusting a hand out. "Hyper Merge!"

Power was instantly transferred from Saurus to Serpenoid, rendering Saurus helpless.

"_Power transferred, Saurus decreased to 300 Gs, Serpenoid increased to 420 Gs."_

Serpenoid continued to squeeze until Saurus exploded in a flash of red light, reverting to his ball form and flying back to Dan, rolling on the ground before stopping in front of him. Serpenoid hissed loudly before reverting in a flash of yellow light, flying back to Jason, who caught the ball.

"My turn again! Gate Card Set!" he shouted, throwing another card onto the field. He pulled a different ball from his clip and shouted, "Bakugan Brawl!" before throwing it at the card he just set. It landed, popping open on the card.

"Bakugan Stand!" Jason shouted. "Rise up for battle, Haos Stinglash!"

The scorpion Bakugan rose up, giving a massive battle cry from its ugly head.

"_Haos Stinglash enters battle with 330 Gs. No further data available."_

"What? Afraid to fight me on my own card?!" Dan said cockily, pulling out another Bakugan. "Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Go, Pyrus Mantris!"

The giant mantis Bakugan appeared onto Dan's Gate Card, causing Jason to shudder slightly. He always hated bugs, and he never understood that, since he always brought his Stinglash.

"_Pyrus Mantris enters battle with 340 Gs. No further data available."_

"Ability Activate!" Dan shouted, pulling out another card. "Marionette!"

Mantris put its wicked scythe-like claws together and fired grappling beams at Stinglash, picking it up and moving it onto Dan's card, where Mantris was waiting.

"Slick move, but try this on for size! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, pulling out a card of his own. "Abyss Ruler!"

"_Stinglash power level increased to 430 Gs, Mantris remains at 340 Gs."_

"Not for long!" Dan spat at the Bakupod's comment. "Ability Activate! Twin Machete!"

Mantris' claws started shining brightly, his power level raising just above Jason's Stinglash.

"_Mantris' power level increased to 440 Gs."_

"Now, Gate Card open!" Dan shouted. The Gate Card flashed, revealing a Pyrus symbol, suggesting that it was a Pyrus Normal card.

"_Mantris' power level increased to 540 Gs, Stinglash remains at 430 Gs."_

"Take him down, Mantris!" Dan shouted.

Mantris launched forward, slicing Stinglash harshly and sending it flying off the Gate Card, causing it to revert to its ball and fly back to Jason. Mantris reverted as well, and Dan caught his Bakugan, smiling victoriously.

"Give up yet?" Dan said cockily.

"You're kidding, right?!" Jason shot back. "This is just the beginning!"

Jason pulled his last Bakugan from his clip and threw it as hard as he could onto the remaining card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Laserman!"

It was Dan's turn to shudder as the powerful mechanical Bakugan rose up, ready for combat.

"_Haos Laserman enters battle with 370 Gs. No further data available."_

"OK! Bakugan Brawl!" Dan shouted, throwing another ball onto the field. "Bakugan Stand! Go, Pyrus Griffon!"

A red flash erupted from Laserman's card, and the chimera Bakugan rose up, letting out a nasty roar.

"_Pyrus Griffon enters battle with 350 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Let's do this! Ability Activate!" Dan shouted. "Wing Burst!"

Griffon flew in and smashed Laserman with its wings, leeching G-power from it while the attack was going on.

"_Power transferred, Laserman decreased to 320 Gs, Griffon increased to 400 Gs."_

"OK! If that's the way you wanna play, let's do this! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, pulling out his counter. "Spiced Slayer!"

Laserman fired a draining beam from both his guns at Griffon, who had no choice but to take it, for Dan had already used his Fire Wall ability.

"_Power transferred, Griffon decreased to 300 Gs, Laserman increased to 420 Gs."_

"I'll take my power back, thank you," Jason said, smiling.

"Yeah? And I'll steal it right back!" Dan shouted. "Gate Card open! Hyper Merge!"

"_Power transferred, Laserman decreased to 320 Gs, Griffon increased to 400 Gs."_

"What?! No way!" Jason shouted, not believing what had just happened. He stayed that way as Dan's Griffon mercilessly defeated his Laserman, sending it rolling back to Jason's feet. Before the battle could end, Jason pulled out one more card.

"Ability Activate!" he shouted, flashing the card. "Taking You With Me!"

Soon enough, an enormous beam of energy erupted from the Ability Card, making direct contact with Dan's Griffon and causing it to roar in pain. The Griffon reverted to its ball and flew off the field, rolling back to Dan.

"What was that?!" he shouted.

"Taking You With Me is an Ability Card that can only be used after your Bakugan has lost a battle," Jason explained. "It defeats the other player's Bakugan, rendering it useless for the rest of the game!"

"Huh…not bad!" Dan said. "But you've only got one Bakugan left! Let's see if you can win with those odds!"

Dan pulled a Gate Card from his deck, Jason doing the same. Both brawlers shouted, "Gate Card, Set!" before throwing them onto the field, expanding them.

"My move!" Dan shouted. "Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Go, Pyrus Mantris!"

The red mantis Bakugan rose up once again, hissing loudly.

"_Pyrus Mantris enters battle with 340 Gs. No further data available."_

Jason shuddered slightly, but then he steeled himself, putting on a confident face. He pulled out his Serpenoid and threw it towards Mantris.

"Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Serpenoid!"

The white snake rose up to his full height against the Mantris, raising the fins on the side of its head and hissing intimidatingly.

"_Haos Serpenoid enters battle with 320 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, holding up a card. "Light Increase!"

Serpenoid's body began to glow, and the stinger on the back of its tail increased in size.

"_Serpenoid's power level increased to 380 Gs."_

"I'll see you, and raise you with this! Ability Activate!" Dan shouted, holding up his counter card. "Blaze!"

"_Mantris' power level increased to 420 Gs."_

Mantris began to charge up a ball of fire between its claws. Jason knew he needed to do something, or else he was toast. Literally.

"Ability Activate! Power Up!" he said, pulling out the first card he saw.

Serpenoid's body glowed even brighter as the power flowed into him.

"_Serpenoid's power level increased to 440 Gs."_

Jason sighed with relief. His Serpenoid's power was just above Dan's Mantris. He could end this with one move.

But then…

"Gate Card open! Triple Battle!"

_Ah, crap, _Jason thought, facepalming. With the Triple Battle Command Card, Dan could bring another Bakugan in to fight beside his Mantris.

_Wait, Dan only has one Bakugan left, _Jason thought. _Unless he entered the battle with 4 Bakugan, he wouldn't be able to activate the card._

"Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Go, Drago!"

Jason was snapped out of his thoughts as a Bakugan that was known all across the world showed up on the card as Mantris' ally.

"_Pyrus Dragonoid enters battle with 340 Gs. Dragonoid and Mantris combined G-power of 760 Gs."_

"A Dragonoid?!" Jason shouted, knowing he was royally screwed. Serpenoid wasn't strong enough, and Jason didn't have any Ability Cards that could boost it up enough to even remotely make a difference.

"Ability Activate!" Dan shouted, holding up one last glowing card. "Boosted Dragon!"

"_Dragonoid and Mantris' power level raised to 860 Gs."_

Drago charged up a massive fireball in his maw before both he and Mantris released their fiery attacks on Jason's helpless Serpenoid, destroying it and claiming victory. Both Pyrus Bakugan reverted to their ball forms and flew back to Dan, who caught them. Jason's Serpenoid rolled back to him, stopping at his feet. He picked it up just before they exited the battlefield, and time restarted in the human world.

* * *

The light died down, revealing a happy and confident Dan and a distraught Jason.

"Aw, man!" Jason said. "I don't believe this! I nearly had you!"

"Haha! That was awesome!" Dan said happily. "Not bad! You're getting better!"

"Yeah, and I would've won if you hadn't brought a freakin' Dragonoid into the battle!" Jason said spitefully.

"Who, you mean Drago?" Dan said as the Dragonoid Bakugan floated up and popped open, perching on his shoulder.

"You had the right tactics, you just didn't have the right skill," Drago said, much to Jason's surprise.

"Whoa! You can talk?!" Jason shouted, surprised.

"Yeah, I know, right?!" Dan said. "Drago actually came to me while I was taking on Shuji a few weeks ago. We've been partners ever since!"

"We've had our fair share of disagreements, but our friendship has stayed strong," Drago said, looking at his partner. "I don't know where I'd be without him."

"Aww, you're chokin' me up!" Dan joked, smiling and rubbing the back of his neck. Jason smiled weakly and looked down at his Bakupod.

"Oh, crap! I gotta get home!" Jason shouted. "I'll catch you later, Dan!"

"See ya later, pal!" Dan shouted after Jason as he ran off towards home.

* * *

_Later that night…_

Jason was ready to hit the sack, for he was tired and wanted to be well rested for the pop quiz Ms. Purdy was giving tomorrow. He shut off his light and plopped down on his bed, not helping but be jealous of Dan and his new Dragonoid. He fell asleep quickly, unaware that his wish for a talking Bakugan of his own would come knocking at his window.

Later on that night, a small white and gold figure was looking through Jason's window on the second story of his house.

"So this is where he lives," the Bakugan said. He was still in his ball form, but he resembled a four-legged dragon, with blue eyes and two horns pointing back from the back of his head and a forward pointing horn on the top of his head. His tail ended in a spike that was serrated, and he had angel-like wings.

The Haos Bakugan floated in to where he could see the sleeping Haos Brawler, then he was stopped by an unseeable force.

"What?" He said, wondering what was preventing him from coming in. He tried a few more times to enter the room, to no avail. Then he realized that the kid's window was closed. He facepalmed mentally.

"Looks like I'll have to find another way in," he said, looking around. Then he locked onto an air vent that was missing the grill.

"That's it!" he said, floating over to it and going in.

After a few minutes of floating through the ventilation shaft, the Bakugan exited the shaft, heading into Jason's living room.

"OK, I'm in," he said, looking around some more. "Now I've just got to find the kid's quarters."

The Bakugan floated around a bit more before he found a set of stairs. He floated up them and came to a hallway, looking at each of the doors until he found one that was cracked slightly. He poked his head in to see the same sleeping boy, and the room that he was looking in.

"OK, I made it," the Bakugan said, nodding his toy head. "I guess I'll sleep with the rest of the kid's Bakugan."

The Bakugan floated over to Jason's nightstand landing on it and looking at the sleeping Haos brawler.

"Let's see how he reacts when he finds me," the Bakugan said before closing up and going to sleep himself.

* * *

Author's Note: My name's Strato Abyss, and this is the second Fan Fiction I've started writing that has not been written in a notebook first, the first one being "Mystery of the Legend Keepers", which I'm actually putting on hold for a while.

Anyway, I'll admit first that I'm a major fan of Bakugan, all the way up until Mechtanium Surge. The first Bakugan I ever owned was a Haos Dragonoid, who I later ironically exchanged for a Haos Delta Dragonoid. Since then, I have collected a crapton of Bakugan and Cards, which I still occasionally brawl with.

This story is not canon with any of the Bakugan storylines, except for characters, much like the game. I will be incorporating Gate Cards and Ability Cards from both the anime and real life, as well as giving Bakugan attributes that never appeared in the anime, such as a Haos Laserman.

Anyway, please read and review, and I actually must give out a thank you to JetravenEx, who actually reignited my passion for Bakugan and inspired me to write this story. If you're reading this, thank you. And I hope you readers out there enjoy my newest work, "Bakugan: The Destiny Brawlers".

Strato Abyss signing out.


	2. Rise, Haos Glintwing!

Chapter 2: Rise, Haos Glintwing!

Jason woke up and yawned loudly, stretching his arms. He felt good this morning, and he was praying to whatever deity was up there that he did not fall asleep during class again.

"Oh, good. You're awake."

Jason jumped at the voice, looking around his room.

"Who's there?!" he said, trying to sound tough.

"I'm down here!"

Jason looked at his nightstand to see an open Bakugan sitting there, waving his wings.

"Greetings, human," the Bakugan said. "My name is Haos Glintwing. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Jason loosened up a little bit, now looking at the Bakugan with a look of shock on his face.

"A-A talking Bakugan?" Jason said. "No way, this can't be real. I'm probably still dreaming."

"I can assure you, this is not a dream," Glintwing said, floating up so Jason could look him straight in the eyes.

"How do I know that?" Jason said.

Glintwing flapped his wings and poked Jason in the forehead as hard as he could, causing the Haos brawler to stumble and step back slightly.

"Did it feel real enough?" Glintwing asked.

"Ow...yeah, that felt pretty real," Jason said, rubbing his forehead. He looked at Glintwing again and said, "Wait, what are you doing in my room?"

"I came here hoping to help you out," Glintwing said. "I witnessed your defeat at the hands of that Pyrus Dragonoid."

"Oh, you saw that?" Jason said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I think that if we were to partner up, we could take that guy down and show him who's boss," Glintwing said, flapping his wings. "What say you?"

"Well, I would've said yes even if it wasn't to defeat Dan and Drago," Jason said. "I'm in."

"Cool," Glintwing said, nodding his toy head. "Let's make this work, huh?"

"Yeah, let's!" Jason said enthusiastically. "OK, now I gotta get dressed. Can't go out like this."

Jason hurried and put on his clothes, strapping his Bakupod on his wrist and putting his clip on his belt. Then he looked at Glintwing and said, "Let's go, partner."

Jason held out a hand, which Glintwing landed on and closed up. Jason put him in his jacket pocket and headed out the door, on his way to school.

* * *

_Later that day..._

Dan walked out of the school building, ready to head over to the park and take on his next challenge. Shuji had challenged him to a brawl after school, and he couldn't wait to put the guy in his place.

"Wow, that's so cool!"

"Where'd you get it?!"

Dan was stopped by some sort of commotion going on by the benches. Drago heard it too, and he popped open on Dan's shoulder.

"What's going on over there?" Drago asked curiously.

"I dunno, but I'm gonna go find out," he replied, walking over to the crowd. He slowly rooted himself in and could not believe what he saw. It was Jason, holding a new Bakugan he'd never seen before.

"I found him on my nightstand," Jason said. "He asked me to be his partner!"

Jason looked at the Bakugan, who opened up and said, "My name is Haos Glintwing. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Whoa, Jason!" Dan said, surprised. "Where'd you get the new Bakugan?"

"I came to him last night, through his air vents," Glintwing explained. "That was one trip I never want to take again."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Dan said. Drago floated off of Dan's shoulder and over to Glintwing, inspecting the new face.

"Hello, Glintwing. I am Pyrus Dragonoid," Drago said formally, bowing his head. "Pleased to meet you."

"Ah, you must be Drago," Glintwing said. "I've waited so long to meet you."

"You know who I am?" Drago asked warily, eyeing the Dragonoid Bakugan.

"Well, of course!" Glintwing said. "I saw you with that human who defeated my partner. Of course, had I been there, it wouldn't have turned out the way it did."

Numerous murmurs cycled throughout the crowd as Glintwing had just called out Drago in front of everybody. Jason was looking at his new Bakugan, dumbfounded.

"Well, you're a cocky one, aren't you?" Drago said, getting right up in Glintwing's face.

"Maybe," Glintwing shot back. "Or maybe I'm just confident in myself. You're not offended, are you, Drago?"

"Glintwing..." Jason warned.

"Oh, no," Drago said coolly. "I'm just wondering how long that confidence will last when I defeat you in front of everybody."

"Oooohh..." the crowd said, some putting their hands over their mouths. They could tell that a big brawl was coming up.

"Ha! They're not so special!" said a cocky voice from somewhere in the crowd that everyone knew all too well.

"Oh, and you can do better, Akira?" Jason shot back.

The crowd split as the small bucktoothed kid walked up with his bigger and meaner brother Shuji, both of them with smirks on their faces.

"Yeah, I can do better!" Akira said, pulling out a Gate Card. "In fact, I bet that we could beat both of you losers in a combination battle!"

"Haha! You wanna piece of me, come and get it!" Dan said confidently, pulling a Gate Card from his deck. "C'mon, Jason! Let's show these dorks who's boss!"

"I'm with you, Dan!" Jason replied, pulling out a Gate Card of his own. "Glintwing, you ready?"

Glintwing and Drago looked at each other.

"Looks like we'll have to work together if we want to win," Drago said.

"I'm cool with that," Glintwing replied. "No one calls me out and leaves unscathed. Time to bring the heat!"

All four brawlers held up their cards and shouted, "Bakugan Field Open!"

The six attribute symbols rotated around them, and time stopped as they were sent to the battlefield.

* * *

"Gate Card Set!"

Four cards flew down onto the field and expanded in a flash of red, yellow, orange, and purple, which meant that Shuji was bringing Darkus Bakugan into the battle.

Jason pulled out his first Bakugan and threw it onto the field, landing it directly on his card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Serpenoid!"

A yellow flash erupted from the card as the serpent Bakugan rose to its full height.

"_Haos Serpenoid enters battle with 320 Gs. No further data available."_

"I'm up next!" Akira said, pulling out a brown ball and throwing it onto the field. "Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Get 'em, Subterra Juggernoid!"

A giant turtle creature rose up from the orange flash and faced Jason's Serpenoid, roaring loudly.

_"Subterra Juggernoid enters battle with 330 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, pulling out a card from his deck. "Attractor!"

An unseen force picked up Akira's Juggernoid and moved it to Dan's Gate Card.

"Wha…hey!" Akira shouted. "What's the big idea?! Afraid to fight me?!"

"No, I'm just scared of how badly I'd beat you," Jason retorted. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you'll stand a better chance against Dan."

Dan shot him a dirty look, then pulled out a Bakugan and threw it at his card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Go, Pyrus Saurus!"

Saurus rose up and roared, showing off his strength to the turtle Bakugan.

"_Pyrus Saurus enters battle with 350 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ability Activate!" Dan shouted, putting up a card. "Saurus Glow!"

Saurus' body glowed brightly, roaring as the power flowed into it.

_"Saurus' power level increased to 400 Gs."_

"Ability Activate!" Akira said, holding up a counter. "Power Up!"

Juggernoid's body began to glow as well as Akira's Ability Card took effect.

_"Juggernoid's power level increased to 390 Gs."_

"Still not enough, pal!" Dan said, smirking. "Gate Card open!"

The Gate card shined and revealed a Pyrus attribute symbol; a Pyrus Normal card.

_"Saurus' power level increased to 500 Gs, Juggernoid remains at 390 Gs."_

"I don't think so! Ability Activate!" Akira shouted. "Ground Pound!"

Juggernoid stomped on the Gate card, weakening the power that was flowing into Saurus.

_"Saurus' power level decreased to 450 Gs."_

"Still not enough to take me!" Dan shouted. "Saurus! Take him down!"

Saurus ran up and tackled the Juggernoid, picking the massive turtle Bakugan up and lobbing him off the card. Juggernoid roared in pain and reverted to its ball form in a flash of orange light, flying back to Akira and rolling on the ground. Saurus reverted and flew back to Dan, who caught him.

"My turn!" Shuji said, pulling out a black ball and throwing it at Jason's Serpenoid. "Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Crush that thing, Darkus Falconeer!"

A purple flash erupted from the card, and a winged Bakugan flew into the air, giving out a horrifying screech.

_"Darkus Falconeer enters battle with 340 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ability Activate!" Shuji said, activating his first card. "Dark Growth!"

Falconeer glowed with a dark aura, and its muscle mass increased slightly.

_"Falconeer's power level increased to 420 Gs."_

"Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, holding up an Ability Card of his own. "Bright Light!"

Serpenoid began to charge up a ball of light energy in its mouth, aiming at the airborne Bakugan.

_"Serpenoid's power level increased to 400 Gs."_

Serpenoid fired the ball of light at Falconeer, making contact with it and making it fall to the ground. At Jason's next order, Serpenoid slithered over to the fallen Bakugan and wrapped itself around it, squeezing it tightly.

_"Falconeer's power level decreased to 370 Gs, Serpenoid's power level increased to 450 Gs."_

"Hey! Why don't ya just end it already, huh?!" Shuji complained.

"Very well," Jason said, thrusting out a hand. "Gate Card open!"

The Gate Card adorned a Haos attribute symbol, which signaled a Haos Normal card.

_"Serpenoid's power level increased to 550 Gs, Falconeer remains at 370 Gs."_

Serpenoid squeezed the Falconeer until it exploded in a flash of purple light, reverting to its ball form and flying back to Shuji. Serpenoid returned to Jason, who smiled, much to Shuji's dismay.

"Grr! You..." Shuji said, anger evident in his face.

"Hey, you asked for it," Jason said, pulling out another card. "Gate Card Set!"

Jason threw the card onto the field, the card expanding in a flash of yellow. Jason unsnapped another Bakugan from his clip and threw it at the newly set card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Laserman!"

The robotic Bakugan rose up and stabilized, running an analysis on the battlefield.

_"Haos Laserman enters battle with 370 Gs. No further data available."_

"You're mine now!" Akira said. "Bakugan Brawl!"

Akira's next Bakugan went flying through the air, landing on Jason's card.

"Bakugan Stand! Get 'em, Subterra Robotallion!"

An orange flash revealed another robotic Bakugan rose up, giving off a battle cry.

_"Subterra Robotallion enters battle with 300 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ability Activate!" Akira shouted. "Subterra and Haos Rivalry!"

Robotallion's body began to glow brightly, mixing in with its shining metallic armor and creating a blinding aura.

_"Robotallion's power level increased to 500 Gs."_

"What?!" Jason shouted. "Oh, no you don't! Gate Card open! Double Battle!"

Jason looked at Glintwing and said, "Glintwing! Get in there and give Laserman a hand!"

"You got it!" Glintwing said, closing up and dropping into Jason's hand.

"Bakugan Brawl!" Jason shouted, throwing his new Bakugan into battle. "Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Glintwing!"

An explosion of yellow light erupted from the card as a white feral dragon with golden markings rose up, a massive roar erupting from his maw. Glintwing unfurled his angel like wings and went into a battle stance.

_"Haos Glintwing enters battle with 430 Gs. Glintwing and Laserman combined power level of 800 Gs."_

"OK! Bakugan Brawl!" Akira shouted, throwing his next Bakugan in. "Bakugan Stand! Get 'em, Subterra Saurus!"

The dinosaur Bakugan rose up from its ball and roared back, pounding its chest.

_"Subterra Saurus enters battle with 350 Gs. Robotallion and Saurus combined power level of 850 Gs."_

"Aw, yeah! You're toast!" Akira shouted, pumping his fist. "Take 'em out!"

"Not yet! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted. "Spiced Slayer!"

Laserman fired draining beams at both Robotallion and Saurus, taking their G-power for itself.

_"Robotallion and Saurus' power level decreased to 650 Gs, Glintwing and Laserman's power level increased to 1000 Gs."_

"Go get 'em, boys!" Jason shouted.

Glintwing flew at the Saurus, launching it up into the air and clawing it across the chest. Laserman fired both of its cannons at Robotallion, destroying the robotic Bakugan. Both Bakugan reverted to their ball forms and rolled back to Akira, defeated.

"What?!" Akira shouted. He had no more Bakugan, which meant he was out of the game.

Glintwing and Laserman returned to their ball forms and flew back to Jason, who caught them out of the air.

"Glintwing, that was awesome!" Jason said.

Glintwing popped open and said, "Don't get cocky yet. We've still got one player left!"

"I got him!" Dan shouted. "Drago, you ready?"

"Let's do this!" Drago said, closing up and dropping into Dan's hand.

"OK! Bakugan Brawl!" Dan shouted, lobbing Drago onto the field and landing on Akira's remaining card. "Bakugan Stand! Go, Drago!"

Fire erupted from the card as Drago went into his battle form, roaring and spreading his wings.

_"Pyrus Dragonoid enters battle with 340 Gs. No further data available."_

"You're toast, Kuso! Bakugan Brawl! Shuji shouted, throwing out his next Bakugan. "Bakugan Stand! Crush them, Darkus Mantris!"

The black mantis Bakugan rose up on Shuji's card, hissing loudly.

_"Darkus Mantris enters battle with 340 Gs. No further data available."_

"Ability Activate!" Shuji shouted, holding up an Ability Card. "Marionette!"

Grappling rays shot out of Mantris' claws, grabbing onto Drago and dragging him onto Shuji's card.

"OK, Shuji, you asked for it! Ability Activate!" Dan said, holding up a card. "Flare Booster!"

Drago's body glowed with a red aura as the Ability Card took effect.

_"Dragonoid's power level increased to 400 Gs."_

"Ability Activate!" Shuji countered. "Twin Machete!"

Mantris' claws glowed with a purple aura, and Jason could swear that a grin was creeping across Mantris' face.

_"Mantris' power level increased to 440 Gs."_

"Ability Activate!" Dan shouted, putting up his signature counter. "Fire Wall!"

A vortex of fire erupted from Drago's body, nullifying the aura emanating from Mantris' claws.

_"Mantris' power level decreased to 290 Gs, Dragonoid's power level increased to 450 Gs."_

"OK, Drago! Show 'em what you got!"

Drago flew up into the air, ready to kick some bug. But Shuji had other ideas.

"Gate Card open!" Shuji yelled, thrusting out a hand. "Hyper Merge!"

_"Power transferred, Dragonoid's power level decreased to 350 Gs, Mantris' power level increased to 390 Gs."_

"Ability Activate!" Dan shouted. "Blaze!"

Drago charged up a fireball in his maw, causing Shuji to put on an "oh crap" look.

_"Dragonoid's power level increased to 430 Gs."_

Drago released the fully charged fireball, launching it at Mantris, who took the full brunt of it. Mantris reverted in a flash of purple light, returning to Shuji. Drago reverted and flew back to Dan.

"OK! Our turn!" Jason shouted. "Gate Card Set!"

Jason's last card flew onto the field, expanding in a flash of light.

"OK, Glintwing! Ready to finish this?!" Jason said, looking at his Guardian Bakugan.

"Let's end this punk!" Glintwing said, nodding his head and closing into a ball. Jason grabbed Glintwing out of the air and threw him onto his card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Glintwing!"

The white dragon rose up once again, unfurling his wings and roaring viciously.

_"Haos Glintwing enters battle with 430 Gs. No further data available."_

"You think you're tough?!" Shuji said, pulling out his last Bakugan. "You won't ever want to play again after I'm through with you!" Shuji threw the black ball at Glintwing's card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Crush 'em, Darkus Fear Ripper!"

A black and purple humanoid Bakugan with massive clawed hands rose up, and Jason was slightly nervous. He knew how vicious Fear Rippers could be, and the last thing he wanted was those beautiful angel wings getting cleaved beyond recognition.

_"Darkus Fear Ripper enters battle with 380 Gs. Battle commence."_

Oh, well that's not so bad, Jason thought as his Bakupod gave him Fear Ripper's power level. He pulled out an Ability Card and said, "Ability Activate! Light Increase!"

Glintwing began to glow with a white luminescence, and the serrated blade on his tail increased in size.

_"Glintwing's power level increased to 490 Gs."_

"Ability Activate! Haos and Darkus Rivalry!" Shuji shouted as he held up his counter ability. Fear Ripper's body glowed with a dark luminescence, clashing with the light coming from Glintwing.

_"Fear Ripper's power level increased to 580 Gs."_

Shuji looked at Jason, expecting to see fear in his eyes. But Jason's eyes were closed, and when they opened, determination shined through, and Jason smirked.

"Hey, Glintwing! Let's see how badly we can beat this punk!" Jason said, holding up a Signature Ability. "Ability Activate! Angelic Dragon!"

Glintwing's body began to glow brighter, and his wings glowed so brightly that you couldn't see the feathers anymore.

_"Glintwing's power level increased to 590 Gs."_

"Now! Fusion Ability Activate! Flash Barrage!" Jason shouted, revealing another card behind Glintwing's signature ability.

Glintwing flew up into the air and flapped his wings, arrows of light spawning from them.

_"Glintwing's power level increased to 690 Gs."_

"Gate Card open!" Jason shouted, thrusting out a hand. "Character!"

Massive amounts of energy flowed into the dragon Bakugan, who roared as the power took him to levels unknown.

_"Glintwing's power level doubled to 1380 Gs. Fear Ripper remains at 580 Gs."_

"Now! Show them the wrath of the heavens!" Jason shouted. "Glintwing! Flash Barrage!"

Glintwing sent the arrows of light flying at Fear Ripper, which pierced his body and anchored him to the card. Then, to exact his judgment, Glintwing dove towards the trapped Bakugan, reaching the ground and pulling up, flying straight through the Darkus Bakugan and obliterating it. The Fear Ripper screeched loudly, reverting to his ball form and flying back to Shuji, rolling on the ground.

Jason smiled at the dumbstruck Shuji, and he knew that he'd been beat. Glintwing reverted back to his ball, and Jason caught him as he flew back to him.

"Game," Jason said before the four brawlers exited the field.

* * *

The crowd was shocked as the light died down and Shuji was on his knees, Akira trying to comfort his fallen brother. Jason however, was smiling, Glintwing on his shoulder, watching as Shuji was displaying the biggest case of sore loser syndrome in the history of Bakugan. Even Dan was speechless, for he'd never seen anyone reach a power level over 1000 Gs.

Silence infected the crowd. Then, cheers erupted throughout the entire crowd, congratulating Jason on his major win. Jason was getting pat on the back more than he had ever dreamed, and he had to admit, he could get used to this.

A few minutes later, Dan and Jason were walking home, both of them with their Bakugan perched on their shoulder. Dan wasn't talking the entire way, and even Drago was beginning to think something was up.

"Dan, is something wrong?" Jason said.

"No, nothing's wrong," Dan said. "I've just never seen anyone get their Bakugan's power level up that high. To be honest, I kinda feel sorry for the guy."

"I was just proving him and his little brother wrong," Jason said. "Don't forget, you also destroyed one of his Bakugan without any thought. It's just part of the game."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Dan said, cracking a smile. "I'm actually proud of you."

"Seriously?" Jason said, his face lighting up.

"Yeah! I've never seen you battle like that!" Dan said. "And your new partner was pretty impressive too!"

"Heh heh, just doing what I do best," Glintwing said confidently. "Kickin' butt and takin' names."

"I'll admit, I didn't expect you to fight as hard as you did," Drago said. "Well done, you two."

"Yeah, and just you wait, Drago," Glintwing said, looking at the Dragonoid. "Soon enough, you'll be next!"

"And I'd like to see you try," Drago said calmly.

Jason and Dan just laughed at the two, and eventually, the two brawlers went their separate ways, heading home. Little did Jason know that someone was watching him from the rooftops.

"I take it that he's the one who you're gonna fight next?" said a black Bakugan resting on his shoulder.

"That's right," the brawler said. "I think he'll be a pretty interesting snack, don't you think?"

The Darkus brawler disappeared from the rooftops, going back into the heart of the city.

* * *

Author's Note: Jason's new partner has been revealed, and it is far more powerful than he could've ever imagined. But who's the guy spying on our hero from the rooftops? And what is he planning? You'll have to read on to find out.

Anyway, please read and review.

Strato Abyss signing out.


	3. A Rival Appears

Chapter 3: A Rival Appears

Jason stretched his arms, laying in his bed. He tried to go to sleep, but for some reason, the Sandman wasn't visiting him tonight.

_Guess it must be because of the brawl, _he thought.

Jason did kind of feel sorry for destroying Shuji's Guardian Bakugan the way he did. It was almost like another side of him had come out in those last fleeting moments.

"Something wrong, Jason?"

Jason turned his head to see Glintwing open and look at him. Although the Haos brawler couldn't see it, there was concern in his eyes.

"No, just thinking," Jason said. "You know, about the battle."

"What is there to think about?" Glintwing asked. "We taught that poser and his loudmouth little brother a lesson they'll never forget."

"That's kinda what I'm worried about," Jason said, rolling back over and looking at the ceiling. "Maybe we did go a little too heavy on our assault."

Glintwing looked down, then looked back at Jason and said, "That may be. But you can't be like this your entire brawling career. People are going to think you're afraid of your own power."

"But what if I really_ am _afraid?" Jason said, sitting up. "I destroyed Shuji's Fear Ripper by exactly 800 Gs! That kind of power would usually only be reached by...well, no one!"

"Then shouldn't you be proud that you exceeded everyone's expectations?" Glintwing said, floating up and over to Jason. "I know I would be if I was in your shoes."

Jason buried his hands in his face. "I'm just afraid that your power will take advantage of me and turn me evil. Then everyone would be afraid of _me_."

"That wouldn't happen and you know it," Glintwing said, poking Jason's hands with his head and causing him to look at the Bakugan. "That's why I partnered with you, Jason. You have a very strong devotion to yourself and Bakugan, and I know you have faith in the light. That's why you chose to battle with Haos, is it not?"

Jason cocked an eyebrow. "How do you know that about me?"

"I can see it in your eyes," the dragon said, lowering his head. "You wouldn't turn a blind eye to someone who needs your help. And you would do anything to keep the world at peace."

Glintwing looked at Jason again. "And you would do whatever it takes to fight off the darkness. I think that's why you showed so much ferocity towards Fear Ripper, is it not?"

"Well, I never did like Darkus Bakugan," Jason admitted. "In fact, I actually despise them. But you can't deny their power; they're pretty fierce. I guess something about Shuji bringing Darkus Bakugan to the brawl set my light side into overdrive."

"Then I think you should learn to control that if you ever have to fight against a Darkus brawler again," Glintwing said. "That'll show 'em to face the light!"

"Haha, yeah!" Jason said confidently. Then he closed his eyes. "Thanks, Glintwing."

"For what?" Glintwing asked, cocking to the side.

"For that little pep talk," Jason said. "I was almost ready to give up Bakugan until you helped me realize what I was capable of. But now I know what I want to brawl for."

"And what's that?" Glintwing asked.

"I want to rid the world of darkness," Jason said. "I want to destroy all evil in this world...and other worlds beyond that."

"It's a very noble mission," Glintwing said. "And also nearly impossible. Light and Dark are like Yin and Yang. There can't be one without the other. Light and darkness coexist in this world naturally, and the balance is a rather delicate one."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Jason said.

"But I'm with you 100 percent," Glintwing said. "No matter how impossible the task is, I'll be right beside you the entire way."

"Thanks, partner," Jason said. "I'm gonna go back to sleep now, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Glintwing said, floating back to Jason's nightstand and touching down. "Good night, Jason."

"Good night, Glintwing," Jason said, lying back down and closing his eyes.

* * *

_The next day..._

Jason was walking home from school when he got a message on his Bakupod from an unknown number.

"Huh? What's this?" Jason asked himself, looking at his screen. He tapped the message icon and watched as a figure cloaked in shadows appeared.

_"Jason Carter, I challenge you to a brawl at the park at 3:30 P.M. Be there...if you're not too chicken."_

The message went away, and Jason was left looking at a blank screen.

"Looks like we have something to do now," Glintwing said from Jason's shoulder.

"We have about 10 minutes to get ready," Jason said, looking at his Bakupod's clock, which said 3:20 P.M. "Let's head over there now."

Jason quickened his pace slightly, heading in the direction of the park.

"So who do you think this guy is?" Glintwing asked.

"I'm not sure," Jason said. "But to message me directly, he means business. We need to proceed with caution."

"When you say 'proceed with caution', you mean 'kick the living daylights out of him', right?" Glintwing said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Man, you get me already!" Jason said, chuckling. "Come on, partner. We've got a brawl to win."

* * *

Jason arrived at the meeting place 10 minutes later to find a black-haired boy no older than him standing by the fountain, cycling through his cards. He had striking green eyes, and he wore a black hooded jacket that adorned a Darkus crest on the left side, as well as on the back. He wore black jeans with black sneakers; his entire appearance practically screamed Darkus brawler. As Jason walked up, the brawler looked over and saw him step up.

"So you decided to show up after all," the brawler said. "Good. At least you're not a chicken."

"Who are you?" Jason said roughly.

The brawler sensed Jason's roughness and merely smiled. "My name is Drake Mercer. I am the world's greatest Bakugan brawler."

"Haha, yeah, right!" Jason laughed. "I already know that's not true."

"And how do you know?" Drake said, tension building up around them.

"First of all, you don't possess the air of a champion," Jason said. "Second, if you were a champion, you wouldn't bother with someone as low as me on the ranking board."

That last comment hurt Jason a little bit, since he hadn't even topped 500 on the boards yet. He was rank 523 on the best brawler list; hell, Glintwing was higher than him on the strongest Bakugan list!

"Hmph, that doesn't mean jack to me," Drake said aggressively. "I'm in it to show that rankings are nothing if you've got strength! Sheer power can never be measured with a stupid number!"

"You're a little wrong there, pal," Jason said, smiling. "You're forgetting about the Bakugan's G-power levels."

"Enough talk!" Drake shouted, whipping out a Gate Card. "Let's get to the real action!"

"Then let's get started!" Jason shouted, pulling out his own Gate Card.

"Bakugan Field Open!"

* * *

The brawlers appeared on the battlefield, and neither one wasted any time throwing down their Gate Cards. Jason made his move, throwing out his first Bakugan.

"Bakugan Brawl! Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Serpenoid!"

The white snake rose up, coiling into a battle stance.

_"Haos Serpenoid enters battle with 320 Gs. No further data available."_

"Bakugan Brawl!" Drake shouted, countering with his own Bakugan. Only this Bakugan flew straight past Serpenoid and landed on his own card.

"Bakugan Stand! Rise, Darkus Griffon!"

Drake's first Bakugan rose up in the form of a black chimera, roaring loudly and spreading its wings.

_"Darkus Griffon enters battle with 350 Gs. No further data available."_

"You're trying to get the home field advantage, huh?" Jason said. "Well that's not flying with me! Bakugan Brawl!"

Another white ball went whizzing through the air, landing directly in front of Drake's Griffon.

"Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Stinglash!"

Stinglash appeared on the card and reared its ugly head, screaming at the Griffon.

_"Haos Stinglash enters battle with 330 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ha! Take this!" Drake shouted. "Gate Card open now! Joker's Wild!"

A black explosion erupted from the open Gate Card, and before Jason knew it, his Stinglash was back in its ball form, rolling back to him.

"What?! What just happened?!" he shouted.

"The Command Card 'Joker's Wild' defeats any Bakugan on it that's not a Darkus attribute," Drake said, catching his Griffon out of the air. "Say goodbye to your precious bug."

"This battle's just getting started!" Jason shouted. "I'm not out of it yet!"

"OK! Watch as I destroy another one of your Bakugan!" Drake shouted aggressively, throwing out another black ball. "Bakugan Brawl!"

The ball landed right in front of Jason's Serpenoid, opening into a form that Jason identified almost immediately.

"Bakugan Stand! Destroy them, Darkus Fear Ripper!"

The clawed humanoid Bakugan rose up and faced Serpenoid, smiling with his claws gleaming.

_"Darkus Fear Ripper enters battle with 380 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ability Activate! Slash Zero!" Drake shouted.

Fear Ripper's claws began to glow with a purple aura as its signature Ability took effect.

_"Fear Ripper's power level increased to 460 Gs."_

"Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, holding up his counter. "Colorvoid! Change attribute to Subterra!"

Jason threw the card at Fear Ripper, who got latched onto and drained of color as Jason's Colorvoid activated. Then, Fear Ripper's color changed to brown and orange as its attribute affiliation changed to the Subterra attribute.

"You...! How dare you!" Drake shouted. He knew that all of his strategies were now void because of the attribute change. But Serpenoid still didn't have enough power to win.

"Doesn't matter! Tear him apart, Fear Ripper!" Drake shouted.

"Gate Card open! Pleasant Stone!"

The gate opened, and Serpenoid immediately began to flare up with power.

_"Serpenoid's power level increased to 620 Gs. Fear Ripper remains at 460 Gs."_

"Take him down, Serpenoid!"

Serpenoid slammed Drake's Fear Ripper with his tail, sending it flying off the card and reverting it to its ball form. The defeated Bakugan rolled back to the stunned Darkus brawler. Serpenoid flew back to Jason, who caught it.

"Now we're even!" Jason shouted.

"This battle isn't over yet! Gate Card Set!" Drake shouted, throwing down another Gate Card. Jason did the same, and the cards expanded in a flash of yellow and purple light.

"We'll see about that! Bakugan Brawl!" Jason said, throwing another Bakugan onto the field. "Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Laserman!"

Laserman landed perfectly on Jason's card and exploded onto the field, letting out a robotic battle cry.

_"Haos Laserman enters battle with 370 Gs. No further data available."_

"Not bad, but take this! Bakugan Brawl!" Drake said, sending out Laserman's opponent. "Bakugan Stand! Rise, Darkus Siege!"

A purple flash erupted, and Jason saw a black armored warrior walk out of it, carrying a staff with a nasty serrated blade on the end.

_"Darkus Siege enters battle with 360 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ability Activate! Black Javelin!" Drake said, pulling out a card.

Siege spun its staff, causing the Gate Cards on either side to glow. Soon enough, Jason's card began to glow purple as the Gate Cards were switched.

"Now! Gate Card open!" Drake shouted. "Hyper Merge!"

_"Power transferred, Laserman power level decreased to 270 Gs, Siege power level increased to 460 Gs."_

"I don't think so! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, pulling out Laserman's signature Ability. "Spiced Slayer!"

"Ability Activate!" Drake said, countering. "Double Dimension!"

Laserman's grappling beams fired at Siege, but Siege spun his staff and blocked them completely, keeping their power levels stable.

"Siege! Crush that machine!" Drake shouted.

Siege ran at Laserman, slamming it twice with the base of the staff before stabbing it in the torso and sending him flying back to Jason, who pulled out his trump card.

"Ability Activate! Taking You With Me!"

A massive energy beam erupted from the card and pierced through Siege, reverting it to its ball form and flying back to Drake, who was getting irritated very fast.

"Grr! You're dead meat! Bakugan Brawl!" he shouted angrily, throwing his Bakugan onto the remaining card. "Bakugan Stand! Destroy him, Darkus Griffon!"

Drake's Griffon rose once again, roaring and spreading its wings.

_"Darkus Griffon enters battle with 350 Gs. No further data available."_

"Bakugan Brawl!" Jason shouted, throwing his Bakugan at Drake's Griffon. "Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Serpenoid!"

The serpentine Bakugan rose up and faced Griffon, hissing viciously.

_"Haos Serpenoid enters battle with 320 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ability Activate!" Drake shouted. "Venomous Beast Torrent Attack!"

Griffon flashed purple and reverted, flying back to Drake. Then, one of his defeated Bakugan glowed purple and flew out into battle, transforming into the clawed form of Darkus Fear Ripper.

"OK! Let's party! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted. "Flash!"

Serpenoid's energy flared, and it began to glow brightly as it gained a massive power boost.

_"Serpenoid's power level increased to 430 Gs."_

"Ability Activate!" Drake said, pulling out his next offensive Ability. "Shadow Avatar!"

A massive black wind began to blow across the battlefield, almost causing Jason to lose his balance. He looked at his Bakupod and was instantly shocked.

_"Fear Ripper's power level increased to 780 Gs."_

"A 400 G power boost?!" Jason shouted, aghast. "How?!"

"The Ability Card 'Shadow Avatar' increases the power level of a Darkus Bakugan by 400 Gs if its power level is 450 Gs or lower," Drake shouted over the gale. "It's the ultimate offensive Ability Card!"

"Yeah? Well, I hate to tell you, but it's time I shut down your little windstorm!" Jason shouted, pulling out his most powerful card. "Time to face the light! Ability Activate! Shiny Devil!"

Serpenoid began to glow even brighter, looking like a searchlight in the night. Almost instantly, the wind died down, leaving Drake dumbstruck.

"What the heck just happened?!" Drake shouted. He looked at his Bakupod to see Serpenoid's power level skyrocket.

_"Serpenoid's power level increased to 830 Gs."_

"My ultimate Ability Card, 'Shiny Devil', not only cancels out an offensive attack, but it also boosts the power level of Haos Bakugan by 400 Gs if my opponent's power level is 200 Gs or more higher than mine," Jason said, now being his turn to wear a victorious smile. "I can also use it as an offensive Ability! Destroy him, Serpenoid!"

Serpenoid focused the light coming off him into a beam and launched it at Fear Ripper, who screamed as the massive attack ripped at him, and before Drake could do anything, Fear Ripper was already back in its ball form and rolling back to him.

"Haha! Yeah, we won!" Jason shouted victoriously.

"Uh-uh, we ain't done yet!" Drake said, pulling out one more card. "I've still got one more Bakugan in my arsenal. Gate Card Set!"

"Dang, thought it was over," Jason huffed, throwing out another Gate Card.

"Now, Bakugan Brawl!" Drake shouted, throwing out his final Bakugan. "Bakugan Stand! Destroy him, Darkus Achim!"

A purple light exploded, and Jason was awestruck as a black Dragonoid Bakugan rose up and roared loudly. It was humanoid, looking like a dragon instead of a wyvern, which Jason found out that was what Drago technically was.

_"Darkus Achim enters battle with 440 Gs. No further data available."_

"Whoa! OK, now we're cookin'! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted. "Attractor!"

An unseeable force picked up Achim and moved him to Jason's Gate Card, right where he wanted him.

"OK, Glintwing! Ready to show this guy who's boss?" Jason said to his partner.

"Let's light him up like the 4th of July!" Glintwing responded, closing up and dropping into Jason's hand.

"Alright! Bakugan Brawl!" Jason shouted, lobbing the Dragonoid Bakugan onto the field for the final battle. "Bakugan Stand! Rise up for battle, Haos Glintwing!"

Glintwing rose up and unfurled his glowing feathered wings, facing Achim and roaring.

"_Haos Glintwing enters battle with 430 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Quite the battle cry," Achim said, getting into a battle stance. "Let's see how strong you really are."

"I'm right here, come and get some!" Glintwing shouted back, doing the same.

"Ability Activate!" Drake shouted. "Power From Darkness!"

Achim began to charge up a dark energy blast in his maw, training his line of sight on Glintwing before firing.

"Ability Activate! Lightning Shield!" Jason said, pulling out his counter ability.

Glintwing was surrounded by a sparking yellow shield, increasing his power level and nullifying the Ability at the same time.

"_Ability nullified, Glintwing's power level increased to 480 Gs. Achim remains at 440 Gs."_

"Now it's our turn! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted. "Angelic Dragon!"

Glintwing glowed brightly, floating up into the air and getting ready to execute his attack.

"_Glintwing's power level increased to 580 Gs."_

"Ability Activate! Destruction Boost!" Drake shouted, pulling out his own Special Ability.

Achim's maw began to glow as a black energy beam was charging up.

"_Achim's power level increased to 540 Gs."_

"Let's step up the intensity! Fusion Ability Activate!" Jason shouted, revealing a second card behind the first. "Flash Barrage!"

Glintwing flapped his glowing wings, spawning multiple arrows of light from them.

"_Glintwing's power level increased to 680 Gs."_

"I thought you'd never ask! Fusion Ability Activate!" Drake shouted, also revealing another card. "Black Thunder!"

Achim's maw now began to spark violently as his energy transformed to match the properties of electricity.

"_Achim's power level increased to 640 Gs."_

"I could beat you now, but just for extra measure," Jason said, grinning. "Gate Card Open! Character!"

"_Glintwing's power level doubled to 1360 Gs."_

Glintwing roared as the power from the character card flowed into him, doubling his power. Drake knew he had to stop it, and fast.

"Ability Activate! Dimension 4!"

A dark wind blew across the field, but it was doing nothing to hinder Glintwing's power increase.

"Why didn't it work?!" Drake shouted.

"Dimension 4 only nullifies attribute bonuses. Since a Character Card isn't aligned with a certain attribute, it isn't affected by the power of Dimension 4," Jason said. "Now, prepare to face the light! Go now!"

Glintwing fired the arrows of light, which Achim managed to destroy with his own attack. But he could not stop the big white missile flying at him, and before either one knew what hit them, Achim was back in his ball form, rolling back to Drake.

"What…? Impossible…!"

Jason caught Glintwing as he reverted, and all he could do was smile as they exited the field.

* * *

The light died down, revealing a victorious Jason and an angry Drake, who could do nothing but glower at him.

"And that's game," Jason said.

"Grr…I went easy on you!" Drake said, picking up his Bakugan. "Next time, you won't be so lucky!"

With that, the distraught Darkus brawler ran off. Jason shook his head and walked in the direction of his house.

"That was quite the battle," Glintwing said, popping open on Jason's shoulder. "That'll make him think twice about challenging us."

"I don't know about that, Glintwing," Jason said. "Somehow, I get the feeling that we won't be seeing the last of him."

Jason continued walking, knowing that he could have possibly found a new rival.

* * *

Preview for next chapter

Hey, it's Jason here. I meet up with Dan tomorrow, as well as his friend Runo, who also uses Haos. We're about to start a battle until these two chumps step up and start picking on Runo! We end up getting dragged into a combination battle, and for whatever reason, they're packing cards I've never seen before! I don't know what they're up to, but I'm not letting them win. You should tune in to see us kick these posers to the curb! Bakugan Brawl! See ya there!

* * *

Author's Note: Finally, the third chapter! I can't believe it's finally finished! Woo! Eh, can't celebrate yet. There's still a lot of story to go, so stay tuned!

Anyway, please read and review, and keep your eyes peeled for the next installment.

Strato Abyss signing out.


	4. The Doom Card

Chapter 4: The Doom Card

_"Hey, Jason, it's Dan. I want you to meet me and a friend of mine at the park. I got a job for ya! Haha! See ya there!"_

That was the message that came across Jason's Bakupod on Saturday. He and Glintwing were already on their way to meet Dan and his friend. Jason was glad that he didn't have school, so that meant more time to brawl.

"So, who do you think Dan's friend is?" Glintwing said as they were walking along the sidewalk.

"I have no idea, but I hope they're up for a battle," Jason said, grinning. "I always liked battling someone I've never fought before. Helps me sharpen my skills, you know?"

"Yeah, as well as boosting up your rank," Glintwing added. "By the way, have you checked your ranking lately?"

"Uh, no, not lately," Jason said, opening his Bakupod and accessing the Bakugan website. He was shocked to see what popped up as his ranking.

"Whoa! 249?! You gotta be kidding!" Jason shouted.

"Wow, I guess it has been a while since you looked," Glintwing said.

"Yeah, no kidding!" Jason said. "Man, that's awesome!"

The Haos brawler eventually made it to the park, where he found Dan and a girl with blue hair arguing.

"Uh oh," Jason said. "Looks like Dan's in hot water."

"That's pretty ironic, considering he battles with Pyrus Bakugan," Glintwing said with a hint of amusement.

"Hey, Dan!" Jason shouted, getting both the Pyrus brawler's and the bluenette's attention and preventing Dan from any more verbal abuse. Jason ran over to the group and said, "I made it. What's the job?"

"Jason! Perfect timing!" Dan said, smiling. "I'd like you to meet my friend, Runo."

"Hey! Nice to meet ya!" Runo said, giving me a smile.

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Jason," he replied, then he looked at the Bakugan perched on her shoulder. "Whoa, is that a Haos Tigrerra?!"

"Yeah, she's my partner!" Runo said, looking endearingly at Tigrerra. "Isn't she the cutest?"

Jason could've sworn he saw Tigrerra turn slightly red. Glintwing flapped his wings and said, in a mock tone of adoration, "Aww, she's just adorable!"

Tigrerra took one look at Glintwing, then she gasped and jumped slightly.

"Glintwing, is that you?!" Tigrerra said, shocked.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Jason asked.

"Of course!" Tigrerra said happily. "Glintwing and I were very close friends back on Vestroia!"

"Yeah, she and I are very close," Glintwing said. "But she fell through the portal before I did, and that left me to deal with the Bakugan trying to merge with our world."

"Yes, well, I'm terribly sorry about that," Tigrerra said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to just leave; I didn't exactly have a choice."

"It's not your fault," Glintwing said. "I'm just glad you're OK."

The two looked at each other for a bit more before Runo cleared her throat, causing both Jason and Glintwing to look at her.

"So, you're a Haos brawler too, huh?" Runo said.

"Yeah," Jason replied. "I've battled with Haos Bakugan ever since I picked up a Gate Card."

"Good," Runo said, pulling out a Gate Card. "Then how about we have a little battle? See who the best Haos user is!"

"Sure! Let's do it!" Jason shouted, pulling out a card of his own.

"Not so fast!" shouted a voice from afar. Jason and Runo turned to see two kids walking up to them, both with grins on their faces.

"Don't you know that Haos Bakugan are weak?!" the one on the left said. "You know, I bet you're not even ranked!"

"Yeah, and it certainly doesn't help that she's a girl, either," the one on the right said, snickering.

"Why you…!" Runo said angrily, getting ready to stomp over to the boys and start a fight. Jason put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked at him, wide eyed.

"Don't worry, I'll handle this," Jason said, then he looked back at the kids. "So, you think you're so tough, eh? How'd you like to put your money where your mouth is?! You two versus us in a Combination Battle!"

"Sure, we'll beat you," the kid on the left said. He whipped out a Gate Card with his friend and said, "Come on, let's fight!"

"OK, Runo! Ready to make these douches face the light?!" Jason said confidently, holding up the card he pulled out earlier.

"Ready!" Runo shouted, doing the same.

"Bakugan Field Open!"

The four brawlers, including Dan, who pulled out a card at the last second, were warped to the battlefield to begin their combination battle.

"Gate Card Set!" the four brawlers shouted, throwing their chosen cards onto the battlefield. Jason noticed two flashes of light when the cards expanded other than theirs that stood out. They were red and green, which suggested that their opponents were bringing two attributes that coaligned better than any others: Pyrus and Ventus.

"Doom Card, set!" the two boys said, each dropping a strange card onto the field. They sunk into the ground and sent out eerie pulses of energy.

"What did they just do?" Jason asked.

"Dan, weren't those Doom Cards?" Drago said from Dan's shoulder.

"If they were, then..." Dan said, then he looked at Jason and Runo.

"Be careful, guys," Dan said. "These guys aren't fooling around if they're bringing the heat like that."

"Don't worry, we got this," Runo said confidently, pulling out her first Bakugan. "Bakugan Brawl!"

The white and gold ball flew across the field and landed on Runo's card perfectly.

"Haos Terrorclaw, Stand!"

A huge crab erupted from the card and gave off a mighty screech, brandishing its large serrated claws.

_"Haos Terrorclaw enters battle with 310 Gs. No further data available."_

"Haha, now it's my turn! Bakugan Brawl!" the Pyrus brawler said, throwing his Bakugan and standing on Runo's card. "Pyrus Warius, Stand!"

A massive ogre-like warrior rose up, slamming its double-sided mace onto the battlefield.

_"Pyrus Warius enters battle with 350 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ability Activate! Blaze!" the brawler said, holding up a glowing card. The same red glow enveloped Warius as it charged up a fireball and launched it at Runo's Terrorclaw.

"Counter Ability Activate!" Runo shouted, tossing a card towards her Terrorclaw, spawning up a shield that blocked the fireball.

_"Ability nullified, Warius remains at 350 Gs."_

"Now! Ability Activate!" Runo shouted, holding up her offensive ability. "Bright Light!"

Terrorclaw began to charge up a ball of light energy between its claws, and as it fired the ball at Warius, the brawler threw out his counter.

"Ability Activate! Fire Wall!"

A wall of flame whipped up around Warius, completely blocking Terrorclaw's attack.

_"Ability nullified, Terrorclaw's power level decreased to 260 Gs. Warius power level increased to 400 Gs."_

"Now! Crush them, Warius!" the brawler shouted.

"Gate Card open! Triple Battle!" Runo shouted, swiping her hand. The Gate Card flashed, and a barrier materialized between the two Bakugan. Runo pulled out another Bakugan and threw it onto the card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Haos Saurus, stand!"

A white and gold version of the powerful dinosaur Bakugan rose up and roared, neutralizing the barrier and putting the battle in Runo's favor.

_"Haos Saurus enters battle with 350 Gs. Saurus and Terrorclaw lead with combined power level of 610 Gs."_

"What?! That's impossible!" the Pyrus brawler said, completely shocked. He continued to watch as the two Haos Bakugan decimated his Warius, sending it flying back to him in its ball form.

"And that's how it's done!" Runo said cockily as she caught her two victorious Bakugan out of the air.

"Don't get cocky yet, Runo," Tigrerra warned. "We're not finished yet. We still need to get through this without losing any allies."

"Don't worry, Tigrerra," Jason said, pulling a Bakugan from his clip and winding up his arm. "Bakugan Brawl!"

Jason's Bakugan flew out and landed neatly on his card.

"Haos Stinglash, stand!"

Light erupted from the card as Stinglash rose up and reared its ugly head, screaming loudly.

_"Haos Stinglash enters battle with 330 Gs. No further data available."_

"Ha! I can top that! Bakugan Brawl!" the Ventus brawler shouted, throwing a green ball onto his own card. "Ventus Monarus, stand!"

A green whirlwind erupted from the card, and once it dissipated, a beautiful butterfly Bakugan twirled out and fluttered its wings, letting loose a shower of gleaming dust.

_"Ventus Monarus enters battle with 330 Gs. No further data available."_

"You're not avoiding me that easily! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted. "Attractor!"

An unseen force seemed to pick up the Monarus and move it over to Jason's card, dropping it in front of the battle-ready Stinglash.

"What?! How?!"

_"Battle recognized, Haos Stinglash at 330 Gs, Ventus Monarus at 330 Gs. Battle is currently tied."_

"We'll change that! Ability Activate!" the Ventus brawler shouted, holding up a card. "Updraft!"

A massive tailwind began to blow from behind Monarus, and it used this along with its flapping wings to send razor sharp blasts of wind at Stinglash.

_"Monarus' power level increased to 470 Gs."_

"We're not done yet! Gate Card open!" Jason shouted, thrusting out his hand. "Hyper Merge!"

The Gate Card flashed and opened, the power transfer taking effect.

_"Power transferred, Monarus power level decreased to 370 Gs, Stinglash power level increased to 430 Gs."_

"Now! Ability Activate!" Jason shouted. "Abyss Ruler!"

Stinglash's claws began to glow, and a nasty grin spread across its face.

_"Stinglash power level increased to 530 Gs."_

"Attack now, Stinglash!"

Stinglash swung his pointed tail at the defenseless Monarus, slamming it to the ground before stabbing it with one of its claws. Monarus screamed out in pain, which continued to resonate through the battlefield as it reverted and fell back to its owner. Jason caught his victorious Bakugan out of the air, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for that Monarus.

"OK! My turn! Gate Card Set!" Runo shouted, throwing out a Gate Card before continuing the battle. "Bakugan Brawl!"

Runo stood her Terrorclaw on the newly set card, and it rose up, screeching.

"Ability Activate! Unexpected Guest!" shouted the Pyrus brawler. His second Bakugan glowed with a red aura and flew out onto the field, standing on Runo's card and rising up in the form of a Pyrus Falconeer.

_"Battle recognized, Haos Terrorclaw enters with 310 Gs. Pyrus Falconeer enters with 340 Gs."_

"Ha! You're pretty brave, but you're also pretty dumb!" Runo shouted. "Gate Card, open! Energy Merge!"

The gate flashed open, transferring Falconeer's power to Runo's Terrorclaw.

_"Energy Merge recognized, Falconeer power level decreased to 240 Gs, Terrorclaw power level increased to 410 Gs."_

"We're not giving up yet! Ability Activate!" the Pyrus brawler shouted. "Fire Tornado!"

Falconeer flapped its wings and sent out a massive whirling flame at Terrorclaw, getting back its stolen power.

_"Power transferred, Terrorclaw decreased to 310 Gs, Falconeer increased to 340 Gs."_

"What?!" Runo shouted, watching as the two Bakugan began to fight. She had to do something, but she was saving her last counter card for when her Tigrerra was on the field.

"Wait...that's it!" Runo said, a light bulb popping up inside her head. She pulled out a card and shouted, "Ability Activate! Rapid Haos!"

Her Saurus began to glow with a yellow aura, and it wasn't long before Saurus had joined the battle, ready to earn another victory.

_"Haos Saurus enters battle with 350 Gs. Saurus and Terrorclaw combined power level of 610 Gs."_

"Alright, then! Ability Activate!" the Pyrus user shouted. "Rapid Pyrus!"

Another Bakugan was joining the battle, making it look like the battle was not going to be in Runo's favor this time. The Pyrus user's final Bakugan rose up in the form of a Pyrus Hynoid, a werewolf Bakugan with a mean temper.

_"Pyrus Hynoid enters battle with 360 Gs. Hynoid and Falconeer combined power level of 700 Gs."_

"What?!" Runo shouted, horrified. The two Pyrus Bakugan rammed straight into Runo's Bakugan, defeating both of them in one fell swoop.

But then, something happened that completely confused Jason. Instead of the defeated Bakugan reverting and falling back to their owner, a black portal opened up and sucked the two Haos Bakugan into it, then closing, never to be seen again.

"What? What just happened?" Jason asked.

"Her Bakugan just got sent to the Doom Dimension," Dan said.

"It's a world of finality for us Bakugan," Drago said gloomily. "Any Bakugan sent there can never return, left to rot in its depths forever."

"What?" Jason shouted. "That's horrible!"

"This is why I said to be careful," Dan said. "They're obviously working for that creep Masquerade!"

"Masquerade?" Jason asked curiously.

"Hey, I thought we were battling here!" the Ventus brawler shouted. "Come on, chump! Throw out your next Bakugan!"

"OK!" Jason shouted angrily, pulling a card out and throwing it onto the field. He then pulled a Bakugan from his clip and threw it.

"Bakugan Brawl! Haos Laserman, stand!"

Jason's robotic Bakugan rose up, cocking its cannons and getting ready for battle.

"_Haos Laserman enters battle with 370 Gs. No further data available."_

"Hey, Bryan," the Pyrus user whispered to him. "Let's try and go for defense this time. Make them come to us."

"You sure that'll work, Kenji?" Bryan whispered back.

"Don't worry, I got an idea," Kenji said. "Throw out your Mind Ghost card and draw the girl's last Bakugan in. We can take her out and get the guy alone!"

"Hey! Are we brawling or what?!" Jason shouted, tired of the two whispering like little girls.

Bryan looked at the angered Haos user and threw out another Gate Card, which expanded in a flash of green light.

"Bakugan Brawl!" Bryan shouted, throwing out his next Bakugan. "Ventus Gargonoid, stand!"

A large Gargoyle creature rose up and screeched, flapping its powerful wings.

_"Ventus Gargonoid enters battle with 350 Gs. No further data available."_

"What?! Scared to fight us now?!" Runo shouted angrily. "You're not getting off that easy! Ready, Tigrerra?!"

"Put me in, my lady!" Tigrerra shouted aggressively, closing up and dropping into her hand.

"Runo, wait," Jason said quickly, stopping Runo as she was winding up. "I don't think sending Tigrerra in to fight Gargonoid is a good idea."

"What do you mean?" Runo said, putting her hands on her hips. "Are you saying that Tigrerra is weak?!"

"C'mon, now, think about it!" Jason said. "Up until now, they've only been about offense. Why would he lay another card and throw a Bakugan on it instead of going up against my Laserman?"

"Simple! Laserman has a higher power level than Gargonoid," Runo said. "He was afraid of being defeated and losing another Bakugan."

Jason facepalmed. "That didn't matter before! Trust me, they're laying for you! My guess is he's set down a Mind Ghost card to trick you into fighting him."

"Runo, listen to him!" Glintwing pressed. "If what he says is true, and you ignore him, you could lose Tigrerra forever!"

Runo gasped, looking down at her Tigrerra, who popped open and said, "Perhaps it would be best to avoid battle for now, Runo."

"Are you sure, Tigrerra?" Runo asked. "What if Jason doesn't know what he's talking about?"

"How do you know I don't?" Jason said. "Look, I know we just met, but as your teammate in this battle, you're gonna have to trust me."

Runo looked at Jason, then at Tigrerra. Eventually, she said, "OK, smart one. Do you have any ideas?"

"They're expecting us to fight them on their field, so we should challenge them to fight us, like they've been doing," Jason explained. "You can throw out another card and throw out Tigrerra, or you can launch her onto an existing card. Either way, that Pyrus user has no choice but to throw another Bakugan onto the field. When he does, and my turn comes up, I can use my Stealin' card to get my Ability Cards back, then I can use Attractor to move his next Bakugan to Gargonoid's card. If it's a Mind Ghost, it will trigger automatically, defeating both their Bakugan in one fell swoop."

"And if it isn't?" Runo said.

"Then we can delay them for a little longer," Jason said. "But I don't think that's the case. For now, we just need to put our hopes on this theory. Are you with me?"

"I'm with you," Runo said, pulling out a Gate Card. She faced back towards the field and threw it down before sending in her partner Bakugan.

"Bakugan Brawl! Tigrerra, stand!"

From a massive white flash did a huge white tiger rise. Tigrerra really was a ferocious Bakugan, covered in golden armor and wielding huge golden claws.

_"Haos Tigrerra enters battle with 340 Gs. No further data available."_

"Oh, come on! Are you afraid to fight us?!" Kenji shouted, pulling out another Bakugan and throwing it onto his remaining card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Pyrus Falconeer, stand!"

The Falconeer rose up and took to the skies, flying above the Bakugan standing on the cards.

_"Pyrus Falconeer enters battle with 340 Gs. No further data available."_

"Haha! You've fallen into my trap!" Jason shouted in a mock dramatic tone. "Ability Activate! Stealin'!"

Two cards appeared in Jason's hand as the card activated. He pulled one of them out and shouted, "Now, Ability Activate! Attractor!"

The card took effect, snatching the Falconeer and dropping it onto the same card that Gargonoid. And soon enough, just as Jason had predicted, the Mind Ghost card activated automatically, exploding and sending both Bakugan falling back to their owners, who both happened to be shocked.

"What?! They just used my own card against us!" Bryan shouted. "How did they know?!"

"Man, he's good," Kenji said, sweat beading up on his forehead. "But we can't stop now! We have to win this!"

"Now, Gate Card set!" Jason shouted, throwing out another card. "Bakugan Brawl! Haos Stinglash, stand!"

Stinglash rose up once again, screaming and gnashing its teeth.

_"Haos Stinglash enters battle with 330 Gs. No further data available."_

"OK! Time for revenge! Bakugan Brawl!" Bryan shouted. "Ventus Reaper, stand!"

A green flash exploded from the card, and Jason was left staring at the most feared Bakugan in all of Vestroia; the Bakugan whose job is to lead the Bakugan to the Doom Dimension.

_"Ventus Reaper enters battle with 380 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Ability Activate! Flash!" Jason shouted, quickly pulling out an Ability Card to bump up his power level. Stinglash began to shine with a nearly blinding light, gaining a massive boost from the card.

_"Stinglash power level increased to 440 Gs."_

"Ability Activate! Reaper of the Chaos!" Bryan shouted, activating Reaper's signature Ability. Reaper's scythe began to glow, and he ran forward and sliced Stinglash, leeching power from it.

_"Power trsnsferred, Stinglash decreased to 340 Gs, Reaper increased to 470 Gs."_

"Stinglash, no!" Jason shouted as the portal opened, ready to take the defeated Stinglash to the Doom Dimension. Acting quickly, Jason pulled out a card and said, "Ability Activate! Taking You With Me!"

However, instead of a massive beam firing out of the card, Reaper began to be sucked in along with Stinglash. Seeing this, Bryan was left with a decision: retrieve the Doom Card and save his Bakugan, or let both of them rot in the Doom Dimension forever.

"Doom Card, return!" Bryan shouted quickly. The Doom Card Bryan set rose from the ground and back into Bryan's hand. The portal closed, and both Bakugan reverted to their ball forms, falling back to their owners.

"Bryan, what are you doing?!" Kenji shouted.

"This isn't the way to battle!" Bryan said. "Don't you realize what you're doing to those Bakugan when they're sent to the Doom Dimension?!"

"Fine, you can wuss out, but Masquerade gave us a job to do, and I'm gonna finish it, with or without you!" Kenji shouted, pulling out his last Bakugan and throwing it at the card Tigrerra was standing on.

"Bakugan Brawl! Pyrus Hynoid, stand!"

Hynoid rose up and howled, standing on its hind legs. He faced Tigrerra, who was crouched down and ready to attack at a moment's notice.

_"Battle recognized, Haos Tigrerra enters with 340 Gs, Pyrus Hynoid enters with 360 Gs."_

"Gate Card, open!" Runo shouted. "Anastasis!"

Both Bakugan flashed and reverted, flying back to their owners. As Runo caught Tigrerra, she popped open and said, "Why did you do that?! We could've won!"

"Don't worry, I have a plan," Runo said calmly with a smile on her face. She turned to Jason and said, "You ready to finish this?"

"Ah, I know what you're thinking," Jason said, smiling. He turned to Glintwing and said, "You ready?"

"Let's finish this!" Glintwing said with enthusiasm. He popped closed and dropped into Jason's hand. Jason wound up and threw it onto Bryan's remaining card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Glintwing, stand!"

Glintwing rose up and unfurled his shining feathered wings, roaring loudly.

_"Haos Glintwing enters battle with 430 Gs. No further data available."_

"Bakugan Brawl!" Kenji shouted aggressively, lobbing his Hynoid onto the field. "Pyrus Hynoid, stand!"

Hynoid rose up and faced Glintwing with the same mood as his brawler, licking his chops.

_"Pyrus Hynoid enters battle with 360 Gs. Battle commence."_

"Now! Ability Activate!" Runo shouted. "Cut In Saber!"

Tigrerra glowed with a yellow aura, and she flung herself onto the field, opening and rising up into battle beside her long time friend.

_"Haos Tigrerra enters battle with 340 Gs. Glintwing and Tigrerra lead with combined power level of 770 Gs."_

"Oh, no you don't! Ability Activate!" Bryan shouted, holding up a card of his own. "Call of the Hex!"

A green flash exploded as Bryan's Reaper came back from the dead, spinning his scythe and spreading his sharp wings.

_"Ventus Reaper enters battle with 380 Gs. Hynoid and Reaper combined power level of 740 Gs."_

"Bryan, what are you doing?!" Kenji shouted. "I said I didn't need your help!"

"Teammate or not, I'm fighting beside you! That's what friends do!" Bryan countered, making Kenji blanch.

"Friends..." he said silently. He looked at the ground, then clenched his fist and said, "Doom Card, return!"

The card rose back up into Kenji's hand, and he stowed it in his deck box before looking at Bryan.

"Come on, partner," he said with a confident smile. "We have a battle to win." Kenji looked at Runo and Jason, shouting, "We know that what we did was wrong, but we won't use those cards anymore. Let's finish this game the right way!"

"Sounds good to me," Jason said, smiling.

"OK, Glintwing! Let's show them the true ferocity of the Haos Bakugan!" Tigrerra shouted aggressively.

"You read my mind, Tigrerra!" Glintwing shouted, baring his fangs.

"OK, Kenji! We have a battle to finish! Ability Activate!" Bryan shouted. "Winds of Fury!"

"Ability Activate! Circle of Fire!" Kenji shouted.

The cards took effect, boosting both Bakugan's power level through the roof.

_"Hynoid and Reaper's power level increased to 950 Gs."_

"OK! Our turn! Ability Activate!" Runo shouted. "Crystal Fang!"

"Ability Activate! Angelic Dragon!" Jason shouted.

Tigrerra's claws grew to a larger length, and Glintwing's wings began to glow brightly as both of their signature Abilities were activated.

_"Glintwing and Tigrerra's power level increased to 950 Gs. Battle is currently tied."_

"We can change that! Fusion Ability Activate! Flash Barrage!" Jason shouted, throwing the card at Glintwing. Glintwing flew up into the air and spawned multiple arrows of light from his wings.

_"Glintwing and Tigrerra's power level increased to 1050 Gs."_

"Attack now!" the two Haos users shouted in unison.

Glintwing fired his arrows at the opponents, trapping them to the Gate Card. Then, the two Bakugan performed their attacks, Tigrerra slicing Hynoid ferociously and Glintwing slamming into Reaper like a missile. Both Bakugan reverted and fell back to the opposition, and Glintwing and Tigrerra flew back to Jason and Runo, who caught them as they were sent back to Earth.

The light died down, and all four brawlers were smiling.

"Not bad," Kenji said, smiling. "And I'm sorry for what happened. We both are."

"It doesn't matter," Jason said, holding out a hand. "I'd like to take you guys on again sometime. Except next time, we'll try to keep the Doom Card out of it, OK?"

"You got it," Bryan said, shaking Jason's hand. The two walked away, leaving the three to themselves.

"That was awesome!" Dan said, excited. "You did pretty good for just meeting."

"Thanks, Dan," Jason said, smiling. He looked at Runo and said, "Maybe next time I can see what she can do from the other side of the battlefield."

"I'll take you up on that," Runo said. "But you better be prepared to lose!"

The three laughed and walked out of the park, the battle being nothing but a distant memory.

* * *

Preview for next chapter

I am Haos Glintwing, partner to Jason Carter. Things really heat up as that Darkus brawler from the other day comes back to battle Jason, under the impression that he would win. Just as we're about to prove him wrong, these two guys show up and ask for a combination battle. I don't know how much it would pain Drake to team up with Jason for one battle, but I can assure you that this battle is not one to miss. Stay tuned for the next installment of Bakugan: the Destiny Brawlers!

* * *

Author's Note: This one took a while, but it's finally done. Please read and review.

Oh, and I'm also accepting OCs for a series of one-shots where Jason brawls with people from other stories. The rules are: you must have 3 Bakugan and a deck of 30 Cards. This is old-school rules, after all. You can use first-gen Bakugan and cards from the show as well as cards in real life, though some could have their effects changed. Those who are interested can PM their characters and stats to me. And remember, you can't have the Guardian Bakugan of someone from the show. I.E. if you have a Pyrus Dragonoid, it must be different than Drago or Apollonir, and it can't talk. Just imagine it as a Bakugan from the Interspace. Also, Guardian Bakugan cannot be evolved (must be in first form), and their power level cannot exceed 500 Gs. You are also free to make up Ability Cards and Gate Cards, just as long as their not severely overpowered. The evolved Bakugan restriction may be lifted when Glintwing evolves.

Contents of OC entry should include: the name, age, appearance, and personality of your character. You must also include the character's main attribute (you're only allowed to use one attribute) and the name of his/her Guardian Bakugan, if they have one. You must then have a list of the 3 Bakugan your character will be bringing to the battle (except for Guardian Bakugan, power levels are decided by a guide I have prepared, so don't bother putting those down for generic Bakugan), and the list of 30 cards and their effects (keep the Gate Cards separate from the Ability Cards as well, so I don't get confused). If you'd like to include any other information, that's entirely up to you.

Strato Abyss signing out.


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